So The Runner Fell In Love With The Surfer
by chartwilightmom
Summary: One Shot Entry for Life After Twilight's Summer Lovin Contest. Surfer Bella and runner Edward meet on the beach one morning. AU/AH, OOC.


**Title of Entry: So the Runner Fell In Love with the Surfer**

**Your Pen Name: chartwilightmom**

**Characters: Bella and Edward**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters are property of Stephenie Meyer. This story is in no way an attempt at copyright infringement. This story and all plot lines therein are the property of chartwilightmom.**

**A/N: This OS is for the 'Life After Twilight Summer Lovin Contest' which you can find more information on at  
www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2453973/LATSummerLovinContest**

**This OS is prompted from a Haiku that Kimmydonn wrote for me when I purchased it during the Fandom Gives Back auction. With her permission, the Haiku is sprinkled in this OS (in bold+italic). She is also the fabulous beta on this OS with a pre-read from my twitter twin Snowhitequeen83.**

**BPOV**

I've been surfing since I was eight years old, when Jacob drug me out and let me ride on his board.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

I had been sitting on the white sandy beach, with a book in my hand, hanging out with my cousin, Jacob, and his friends for the day during summer break.

My dad, Charlie, had been on duty and needed someone to watch me.

Jacob was eighteen at the time, just graduated from high school, and Charlie had all but hired him to watch me for the whole summer.

We had always been close, our mothers had been sisters and had died together in a car crash when I was three and Jacob was thirteen.

The sun was high and shinning down, giving me ample light from with to read. A dark shadow stole my light, and I looked up to see a dripping Jacob, grinning at me.

"_You__'__re wet," I keenly states._

"_And you__'__re reading a book," Jacob retorts._

"_Dad said I had to come, but he didn__'__t say what I had to do."_

"_Yeah, well, you__'__re going surfing. Come on." Jacob grins._

_I shake my head and he nods before reaching down, grabbing my book and tossing it in the sand._

_Before I know it, I am over his shoulders and being drug into the chilly ocean water._

_Jacob pulls me off of his shoulder and I find myself next to his board._

"_No!" I yell._

"_B, you need to do something. Sitting on the beach and not enjoying the water is insane!" he yells back._

_I shake my head at him again, but he ignores my protest and lifts me up, laying me down on my stomach._

_Turning my head, I see him launching himself behind me, laying his the upper part of his body on mine._

_He paddles._

_And paddles._

_And paddles._

_Then we are out, past where the waves break, where the water moves in rhythm with the ocean._

_He turns us around so that we are starring back at shore._

_Sitting up, I__'__m shaking while Jacob reaches behind him and pulls at his leash, attaching it to his ankle._

"_Dude, you got her out here!" Jared yells from our right._

_Trying to focus on something other than the fact that I am small, weak and on a surfboard in the middle of the ocean, I look around for distraction._

_Jared and Paul are on their boards to our right and Embry and Quil are on theirs on our left._

"_I__'__m so amped that I got you out here," Jacob whispers._

"_You owe me twenty, dude," Embry says to Quil._

"_Dude, you bet on me?" Jacob asks._

"_Anything to pass the time. Are you making her a grommet?" Quil responds._

"_A grommet?" I interrupt._

"_Beginner," Jacob answers._

"_So B?" Embry questions._

"_Yeah, I guess so." I blush._

_I have no idea why I said yes, but I__'__m out on a board, and I have no idea how to get back, so answering in the affirmative seems like the best thing._

"_Excellent!" Jacob yells from behind._

"_Set is coming," Paul informs._

_Jacob turns the board, pushes me down and starts paddling._

_Freaking out, I lay still with a death grip on the board and let Jacob do all the work._

_We are approached by the wave, and we remain tandem as the wave takes the board, moving us along the ocean and closer to shore._

_Suddenly, Jacob moves from laying atop me to kneeling and then standing. He guides the board through the water, causing us to move faster and faster._

_I squeal in delight as I start to realize how much fun this is. The water is rushing past me and my fingers are trailing in the water, leaving their own wake._

_The wave carries us, and Jacob steers us into the shallow water, as the board comes to rest. He jumps off, standing in waist-deep water, and throws an arm around the board and me._

"_Fun, right?" Jacob excitedly asks._

"_Yes!" I scream._

_When we reach the shore, Jacob lets me off of the board and I stand up, jumping around like my ass is on fire._

"_Again!" I yell at Jacob._

_For the rest of that day, Jacob and his friends all take turns letting me ride their boards with them, each time giving me more information about everything surfing._

_Only when I ride with Embry do I blush and giggle._

So, twenty years later, I love surfing and take time every morning to ride a few waves.

The summer months are the best time of year; the water is warmer, and the early sun always plasters a smile on my face.

I'm brought out of my thoughts of the past when I finally reach my stopping point in the ocean.

It's early; the sun is starting to rise, but is only coloring the sky gently.

I can see Jacob down the beach with his friends, and I am so thankful that he is letting me surf on my own instead of hovering over me, telling me what I'm doing wrong.

Now that I am twenty-eight, he really needs to let me be on my own.

Jacob taught me to surf. And after learning everything I could from my fellow surfers, I started reading everything about surfing and coming up with some of my own ideas.

Then as I got older, and before I headed off to college, Embry taught me about the birds and the bees behind Jacob's back.

I graduated college, developed one of my ideas, sold my patent, bought a huge house right on the beach and moved home to open my own surf shop, Making Waves.

Sitting on the board, I push to turn and watch the sets that are coming in. I see a nice one forming so I lie down and start paddling, placing myself in position to ride the wave.

As the wave starts to crest, I pop up on my board and take my stance. The wave is long and I am cruising along the starling blue water, enjoying the euphoria and adrenalin that is pumping through my blood.

The sun starts peeking over the edge of the ocean its delicate early morning rays are sparkling along the water.

I see some movement on the beach, and instead of paying attention to my board and wave, I look.

_**Bone white sand, palm fronds  
**__**Masculine muscle, bronze hair  
**__**Who is he? WIPE OUT**_

Shit!

Seconds after I look up, I loose my stance and wipe out into the wave. My body tumbles with the wave action, rolling over and over again as the wave comes closer to shore. My body is used to the beating that it is taking, after twenty years of surfing, and preparing by always wearing a wetsuit, I relax and allow the wave to carry me.

_**Sand blast exfoliant  
**__**Tugged by leash; surface, gasping  
**__**Drowned rat dragging board**_

As soon as I am out of breath, I tense and crawl my way to the surface, desperate for air. Cool morning air stings my lungs as I break the surface. My leg is being tugged around, the wave still playing with my board, which that is thankfully still attached to my leg.

My body and board continue to ride the wave, till I am beached like a whale. I'm lying on the sand trying to figure out what happened, and grateful that Jacob is too far down the beach to see me wipe out.

I would never live this down.

Jumping up off the sand, I grab my board that is floating in the now shallow water, looking at and internally cursing, the offending object, as though it were the reason I wiped out.

Nope, that was not the reason.

The reason is jogging towards me.

Holy Shit!

_**Shy smile, furtive gaze  
**__**Blood in cheeks, embarrassment.  
**__**"I'm Edward." "Bella."**_

**EPOV**

I've been running since I could move my legs.

Running around my family's backyard, chasing my cousins playing tag, while learning that I was the fastest in my seventh grade class to going to state for track long distance.

Running is my method of drowning out all that is going on in my life that I don't want to deal with.

Running from Jane, then Kate and finally Angela.

I am hoping that this time I don't have to run anymore. Moving to North Point, I just want to make a fresh start, concentrate on the club.

My cousins, Jasper and Emmett, who are also my business partners, opened our first club with me five years ago. When it became such a huge success, and I felt the need to run again, I suggested starting a second club.

I had done my research and choose North Point.

It is a tourist town with a huge visiting population of college students and surfers. The beaches there are long, white and I had already scoped out the best beach house for me.

Jasper was hesitant at first, being that he just started dating Alice, and had already fell head over hells for her. He was worried that if he asked her to come with him that it would be moving things too fast.

I recalled hearing the squeals from five miles away when he asked her.

Emmett was an easy sale, but it was his new bride, Rose that didn't want to move.

When I suggested that she become the manager for the new club, allowing Jasper to do his best work, in the DJ booth and Emmett to schmooze the patrons, leaving me either in my office or behind the bar, she was intrigued.

It only took three days for her to decide.

It took six more months to purchase a suitable location and turn it into our club.

Everyone is scheduled to arrive later today, to oversee the grand opening.

I, on the other hand, having spent the last week with final preparations, hiring staff and not seeing the light of day, really needed this run.

I really shouldn't be running. The couch in my office at the club had offered me a few hours sleep, but left my body in less than peak condition.

As I listen to music on my iPod and make my way down the beach, I realize how much I really miss running on sand verses pavement; gives my body a much better workout.

The sun is just starting to peek over the ocean, when I notice someone surfing.

_**Salt spray, white capped waves.  
**__**Blue neoprene, bright white skin.  
**__**Who is she? FACE PLANT**_

Shit!

Eating sand was not a part of the schedule today, but here I am, face down trying to figure out what I just saw that made me lose my concentration and land flat on my face.

_**Dust off my scraped knees  
**__**Sand in wounds, stings. Mortified.  
**__**Morning run broken**_

I stand up and look out onto the ocean to see a tumbling body and board, being pulled into shore.

Dusting off the sand, I make my way over to where the person has gotten up from their ride in.

Wet brown hair and eyes are a part of a heart-shaped that face come into focus the closer I get.

She is stunned, her mouth hanging open, almost mirroring my own– the same amazed and gawking look that I am certainly giving her.

Her blush colors her pale skin and my shorts get a little tighter at the sight of its beauty.

_**Shy smile, furtive gaze  
**__**Blood in cheeks, embarrassment.  
**__**"I'm Edward." "Bella."**_

"Hi, I'm Edward. Are you okay?" I ask trying to gain control of my voice cords again.

"Bella," she whispers and blushes harder.

We stare at each other for a moment before she shakes her head and regains her own voice.

"I'm fine, I'm used to it," she answers. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, too," I slowly answer.

"Well, I gotta go," she says as she readjusts her board and moves past me in the direction from which I was running.

I turn and watch her walk away, the wiggle from her ass making me smile instantly.

Continuing to watch as she gains distance from me, I see her move closer to the row of houses that line the beach.

I immediately want to know more about her; how long has she surfed, is that her beach house, would she go out with me.?I resume my run, going back the way I came, in her direction.

But instead of running to catch up to her and trying to figure out a way to engage her in a conversation, I chicken out and continue to run down the beach as she stops at a large beach house, climbing the wooden steps to the outside patio.

I see her stepping under the outdoor shower, starting to unzip and peel away her wetsuit, to reveal a matching dark blue bikini. My mouth hangs open at the sight, as I remind myself to concentrate on my feet while seeing what looks like a slow motion movie sequence before my eyes as I continue to run.

So I continue to run, replaying the last ten minutes over and over again in my head.

**BPOV**

The rest of the day, all I could think about was Edward. He had distracted me from surfing and I didn't know if I was mad at him or just wanted to make a mold of our bodies together in the sand.

Despite all the tourists and the surfers that came into the shop, I just drift through the day.

Attraction never looked so good in a pair of running shorts and shoes. His tone body had a light sheen of sweat, covering all the skin that I want to run my hands over and place light feathery kisses upon.

"What in the hell are you sighing about?" Tanya asks me coming into the kitchen.

"Um, nothing," I answer pulling myself from dirty thoughts of Edward. "How was work?"

"Busy, as usual. The ER was fulled with over-drinkers and people getting hurt," she answers grabbing a plate and filling it with the lasagna that I made.

Tanya is one of my roommates, strawberry blond with curves and a killer white smile. You would think she would be a model or married to some rich dude, serving as his trophy wife, but she was far from anything you could peg her as.

We met in college during our sophomore year, at a party, where we had a strong instant connection after ganging up on some freshman guys playing Asshole.

We had them so drunk by the end of the game that one of them passed out on the table, leaving the others to carry the poor bastard home.

Tanya and I hung out and talked, and it wasn't until she walked me back to my dorm and tried to kiss me that I realized she was gay.

That's right, I have no gaydar.

After blushing and explaining to her that I didn't swing that way, she apologized and we moved on to forming a never-ending friendship.

We graduated college together and kept close ties as she attended medical school, ending up with a job at North Point Regional after passing the board and completing her residency.

"Honey, I'm home!" Rebecca yells from the front door entering the house.

"We're eating dinner, and you're late," Tanya yells back.

Rebecca comes waltzing in and takes a deep whiff. "Hmm, B's homemade lasagna."

She sets her bag on the floor and comes over to give Tanya a kiss. Even after all this time living with them together, I still blush at their affection to each other.

Tanya had just started working at the hospital, and living here in my huge house at my instance, when she met Rebecca.

We were out shopping one scared afternoon that Tanya had off, stepping into this new boutique in town, only to see the lovely brunette Rebecca behind the counter.

I had only read about love at first sight or seen it in movies, but seeing it first hand was like watching lighting moving across the room, connecting two souls.

I was happy and jealous at the same time.

"So, tell me, what are you sighing about, B?" Tanya asks.

"I told you it was nothing." I blush and finish my last bite of food.

"Hmph," Tanya scoffs at my denial.

I go about cleaning as Rebecca and Tanya catch up with each other.

It is amusing watching them interact with each other; they are girls, in love with each other, but act like best friends, gossiping away.

As I'm washing dishes, my thoughts drift back to Edward, the runner from the beach. I wonder if he is a tourist or someone who just moved to town. I want to know what he likes to eat and how he keeps such a fabulous body by just running.

"You're doing it again," Tanya whispers giving me her now empty plate.

"Sorry," I whisper.

"Don't be sorry; whoever he is, he must be special," Tanya goads me.

"Fine, I'll tell you." I sigh, giving in.

I turn and dry my hands only to see Tanya take a seat back at the table as a smiling Rebecca turns her gaze to me.

Damn these two.

So I tell them about my morning surf and wiping out, at which they gasp, and finally Edward.

"Why didn't you stay and talk to him more?"

"I don't know. I really don't. I wanted to. Hell, I'm ready to setup camp on the beach just to wait and see him run by again," I answer.

"Don't worry, you'll see him again," Rebecca reassures me.

The next several of weeks pass, and I continue to surf in the mornings, have no sightings, catch no sight of Edward running down the beach.

After a long day at the shop, I arrive at home to find a bouncing Rebecca dancing for a laughing Tanya in the living room.

"Hey guys, what's going on?"

I drop my bags on the floor and collapse next to Tanya who leans over and gives me a welcoming hug.

"Take a shower, B. Put on a smile and some dancing shoes, we are going out!" Rebecca chirps continuing to dance around the room.

"Dancing?" I ask turning to Tanya.

"Yeah, see, my Rebecca here had a visitor in her shop today, who invited us to that new club that just opened last week, Breaking Dawn," she explains.

"And no excuses, B. You've been working too hard in the shop – you need to hire more help. But right now, go shower," Rebecca commands resting from her dancing and plopping down on the other side of me on the couch.

"Fine. Damn, what is it about you two that makes me say that word," I huff.

"You love us, and we love you. Now go."

Tanya and Rebecca push me off the couch. I shower and slip on an off the shoulder, black knit mini-dress that Rebecca demanded I wear with matching black and white zebra heels.

Rebecca drives us to the club and we enter the lush setting. The whole place is decked in red and black. One whole side of the building has been modified with roll up doors, allowing the warm summer breeze to drift in. I take a whiff and smell the ocean.

The dance floor is located directly in front of the doors, and I just bet that the breeze is awesome while working up a sweat dancing.

Tanya tells me to go dance with Rebecca while she heads off to the bar to get us some drinks.

As Rebecca and I dance together, our hands touching each other, I can't help but feel someone's gaze on me. And it's not Tanya. She doesn't mind that Rebecca and I dance like this, if anything it's a turn on for her and fuels the fire for them in the bedroom later.

I glance around as we continue to dance, trying to pin point who is watching us so intently.

**EPOV**

Sitting at dinner that night, all I could picture in my head were Bella's brown eyes. My body was tense, wanting to jump out of the seat and immediately go to the beach to wait and watch for her.

I didn't want to be a stalker, but knowing where she possibly live only made my plans for finding and talking to her again easier.

"Edward?" Jasper asks.

"Yeah?"

"Where were you just then?"

"Um, sorry. Got a lot on my mind," I answer.

"Yeah, right," he mumbles.

We continue dinner and talk about all the progress with the club. I inform them of the major things that have already happened and everything left to do.

"Rose, are you ready to interview for the staff?" I ask giving her that baton.

"Ready and willing to hire and fire," she smugly answers.

"Baby, take it easy," Emmett warns.

I knew that we were taking a big risk with making Rose the manager. She is tough as nails with a smile that kills.

After dinner, I end up taking a run on the beach, passing by her house and seeing some lights on, I grin and wonder what she is doing tonight.

Over the next couple of weeks, everyone settles in and we all work hard at putting the finishing touches on the club.

Unfortunately, I'm so tied up that I don't get to run in the morning, only at night.

Rose shocks all of us by being civil during her interviews and hiring an almost completely female waitstaff.

"What? I get my own set of bitches," she smirks during our last dinner together before the club opens tomorrow night.

"Nothing," I reply shaking my head. "I'm just proud of you for handling yourself so well."

"Yeah, Rose," Emmett adds.

We all smile and make a huge toast to the club opening.

The next day, I sleep in, knowing that I will be up till sunrise tonight.

The warm, rainless summer night is perfect for the opening, and I can't help but scan the crowds looking for Bella.

I know it's a long shot that she might come, but I was holding out some hope to at least see her again.

A few more nights go by and there is no sign of her. I start to loose hope that she is a club type of girl.

But then, a week or so after the opening, I see a wisp of brown hair and pale skin enter the club, and head to the dance floor.

I'm behind the bar, and I can't see if it is her. I pull my 'I'm one of the owners of this club and I can do what I want' card and leave the back of the bar to the other bartenders.

Smiling as I make my way towards the last place I saw that brown hair, I end up standing on the edge of the dance floor.

There, dancing with another girl, is Bella. Her eyes are closed and she is lost to the beat of the music.

I watch mesmerized by the sway of her hips and the sensual way she gives into the rhythm.

The breeze is blowing through the open doors filling the room with the sand and salt air of the beach.

Just as I think about approaching her, her eyes pop open and she starts scanning the crowd.

When she sees me, I give her a smile and a small wave. She smiles back and my hopes have returned.

I make my way out to her, hoping that she isn't with her 'girlfriend'. As I stop in front of them, she stops dancing and taps the girl on the shoulder.

"Could you give us a minute?" she yells over the music.

"Sure, I'll go find Tanya at the bar," the girl yells back.

We watch the girl walk off to the bar, while everyone around us is continuing to dance.

The song morphs into a club mix of one of my favorites, _Talk Show Host_ from _Radiohead_ and I smirk to myself knowing that Jasper is watching and put it on just for me.

"Would you like to dance?" I ask, leaning in and trying not to yell too loudly.

"Yes," she replies.

We start to dance together, our bodies move closer to each other, but not enough to touch. My hands can't help themselves and reach out to hold her waist, wanting to put our bodies in sync.

As we continue to dance, the inches dissolve and we are finally touching, and I can see tiny drops of sweat on her neck.

Her hands move, one gripping my bicep and the other onto the nape of my neck, scratching and teasing the hairs there.

When one of my hands move from their position on her waist, tenderly caressing her arm on it's way to her bare shoulder, she shivers.

The goosebumps that rise on her are appetizing. My tongue peeks out and licks my lips at the anticipation at tasting her.

Our eyes connect and I can see the same hunger in her that I have.

I lean in and ghost my lips against hers.

The kiss is chaste and it only fuels the passion that is building for her.

As I pull away, a strong breeze whips through the doors, blowing her hair and cooling our heated skin.

The song ends and I take her hand and lead her back to the bar, leaving her to sit with her friends.

"Don't go anywhere, please?" I ask as I lean in and place a kiss on her cheek.

The blush returns, and although you wouldn't think that I could see it in the dimly lit club, I can, and I feel the heat from it this time.

"Sure," she replies smiling.

I make my way behind the bar and grab a water. She watches as I fill a few drink orders before making my way back to her.

The night progresses and we finally get to talk. I find out that she is a native of North Point, only leaving for four years of college at UCLA. She has surfed all her life and has a house on the beach. She surfs every morning.

She loves surfing.

I'm introduced to the girl that she was dancing with as well as the one that was waiting at the bar. Roommates.

As the crowd dies down, I find Rose and Emmett and ask them to close so that I can take Bella to a late, or early, breakfast.

Her roommates, which I find out later are life partners, left earlier with threats of killing me if I didn't take care of Bella.

I swore on my life.

At three AM, we leave the club, a cooler summer air embraces us as we leave the club. Bella directs me to a greasy spoon where we eat eggs and bacon and drink coffee.

I stare at her, watching her lips move, wanting nothing more than to kiss them.

After breakfast, she gives me directions to her house and I offer to walk her home along the beach.

Hand-in-hand, we walk silently, our bare feet chilled by the night sand.

"Thanks for staying," I tell her.

"Thanks for breakfast," she responds.

She smiles and then blushes, sending my mind and body into overdrive with want – want to touch her everywhere. I imagine her blush heating her entire body.

"Do you want to sit?" The words come out of my mouth before I have a chance to think them.

"Um, sure," she answers.

I sit down and she surprises me by sitting in front of me. So I keep my legs open, bending them at the knees to give her support as she snuggles and leans back against me.

Naturally, I wrap my arms around her.

**BPOV**

I've never felt this comfortable in my entire life – in Edward's arms, snuggled together, sitting on the beach.

I never thought I would see him again, and I have to remember to do something special for Tanya and Rebecca for dragging in out tonight.

Edward is attentive and sweet and beyond anything you can label as sexy. Dressed in a tight black t-shirt and black jeans, he is dripping sex.

I was surprised when he danced with me that he didn't attract anyone to interrupt us. I can just imagine the magnet that he is, having women adhere to him like magnets to a piece of metal.

Intertwining my arms into his, he pulls me closer, placing whispering kissing on my neck and shoulder.

"It's so beautiful here," he whispers.

"I wish I could see well enough to surf at night."

I sigh to myself and look on the ocean, the dark blue sky – pin pricks of light in a symphony of disorder above our heads. The waves are crashing and the gentle lapping of the shoreline is like a soothing croon.

"I should get some sleep, and so should you," I whisper hoping he doesn't hear me.

"I know. Can I see you later?"

"Yes."

We eventually get up and Edward walks me back to my house, giving me a simple kiss good night and watching me enter the house before leaving.

After a restless couple of hours of sleep, thinking about Edward, his lips, his body, and the sweet smell of sweat and sun from his skin, I finally get up, and resolve to get out onto the ocean.

I slip on my neon blue wetsuit, attach my leash, grab my board and head out to the sound that calls me.

Just as I reach the lapping shoreline, I hear my name in the distance.

I turn to see a figure running to me, and as it gets closer, my smile widens.

Edward is running down the beach, and is almost breathless when he reaches me.

"Edward?"

"Bella," he pants.

I hold up my hand, motioning for him to catch his breath.

"Teach me to surf."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to the ladies of www(dot)LifeAfterTwilight(dot)net and www(dot)southernfanfictionreview(dot)com for hosting this contest.**


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